Film or Television: Ryan Phillippe edition

It was announced a few months ago that Ryan Phillippe would be joining the cast of Damages for its fifth season. I totally missed that. So when I started scanning the photo agencies last night and came across these shots of him shooting the show in New York the other day, my reaction was delayed.

And that’s what a struggle it is in the movies right now. So many actors of a certain age range, and not that much work. At least not in film.

Phillippe will never admit it, but this, television, is not the direction he would have intended for himself. It’s never their intention. TV to movies and not the other way around. I’m not saying I agree with that principle - and we’ve already discussed it at length, most recently re: Ewan McGregor, click here for a refresher - but this is a truth they themselves have created. Whether or not this is what they’ve been taught, the fact is they consider film to be the ultimate achievement.

Ryan Phillippe however is not Ewan McGregor. Ewan McGregor is doing HBO equally out of creative choice than necessity. For Phillippe...well...this is pure necessity. It just wasn’t really happening over in film. And I imagine the conversation with his agent must been along the lines of - do this, get their attention, make a big impression, and then we can try to move you back into more interesting work in the movies, ok? Once again, it’s television as a means to an end. And a means to a means. After all, it’s about the money too. To spend on the new girlfriend?

Click here if you missed photos of the new girlfriend with him in December. I’m told she’s 20 and she loves talking about how “my boyfriend bought me this” and “my boyfriend took me to that”. On Facebook. What’s Leonardo DiCaprio’s policy for his 20 year old pieces and their activity on social networks?